Fluid dispensers are commonly used in restaurants, factories, hospitals, and public bathrooms. These dispensers may contain fluids such as soap, anti-bacterial cleansers, disinfectants, lotions and the like. Some dispensers utilize some type of manual pump actuation mechanism wherein the user pushes or pulls a lever to manually dispense a quantity of fluid into the user's hands. “Hands-free” dispensers may also be utilized wherein the user simply places their hand underneath or in front of a sensor and an electromechanical pump mechanism dispenses a metered quantity of fluid. Related types of dispensers may be used to dispense powder or aerosol materials.
In some embodiments, a dispenser includes a replaceable refill cartridge or container (e.g., a bag, pouch, or tank) that is installed within the dispenser housing or attached to the dispenser (e.g., below a countertop) and is connected to a pump mechanism and an outlet port for dispensing the contents of the container. When the fluid in the container is depleted, the container is detached from the pump mechanism and a new, filled container is installed and attached to the pump mechanism.
In other embodiments, a dispenser includes a more permanent container or reservoir into which additional fluid is poured from an external fluid source (e.g., an external bottle, bag, or other refill container). This arrangement may be preferred for dispensers for which access to the fluid source is inconvenient (e.g., countertop mounted dispensers that store fluid beneath the counter) or undesirable (e.g., dispensers for which user maintenance of the dispenser, such as disassembly and/or replacement of components, is preferably minimized), or to allow for refilling of the dispenser fluid container from a larger, more economical external refill container.
A variety of mechanical and electronic mechanisms have been utilized to prevent replacement of a depleted installed refill container with an unauthorized or incorrect refill container, for example, to ensure the correct type and quality fluid is being provided, or to limit the source of replacement fluid to approved manufacturers or distributors. Examples of such mechanisms include mechanically, magnetically, electromechanically, or electronically keyed arrangements that require the refill container to have a proper connector or identifier (e.g., magnetic, electromechanical, or electronic identifier) to assemble with and/or enable functioning of the dispenser. Despite these measures, tactics for improper or unauthorized refilling of a dispenser remain, including reuse of an authorized refill container by injection of refill fluid into the container (often referred to as “stuffing” or “drill and fill”). Dispenser systems that utilize an external refill container are generally even more vulnerable to refilling with unauthorized or incorrect fluids, as the fluid may be added through the external refill supply port or directly into the reservoir (e.g., “drill and fill”).